Lions move up to regional semifinal
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions extended the 2023 baseball season for another week by sweeping their Class 2A regional quarterfinal series against 10th-ranked Hamilton.
The Lions (23-3) advance to the regional semifinals to take on New Home in a rematch of last year’s regional final. Game 1 of the series is set for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 25 (today) at McMurry’s Walt Driggers Field. After a day off for graduation, the series resumes with Game 2 at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 27 at Lubbock Christian’s Hays Field.
Driggers Field is located at 1801 Amarillo St. in Abilene, a block off Sayles Boulevard just east of the McMurry campus. Limited parking is available at Aldersgate Abilene Methodist Church.
Hays Field is located in the 5500 block of 26th Street in Lubbock on the LCU campus. In Lubbock, take Loop 289 on the west side to 19th Street (State Highway 114). Head east on 19th Street to Chicago Avenue, which runs through campus. Turn right onto Chicago and go south to 26th Street. The ballpark will be on the right adjacent to the Rip Griffin Center.
In the regional quarterfinal series, played Friday-Saturday, May 19-20 at Weatherford High School, Albany rallied for a 10-5 victory Friday in Game 1, then completed the sweep Saturday with a 7-0 win behind Cole Read’s complete-game shutout. The Lions scored at least three runs in an inning twice in each game, but two runs in their other nine offensive innings.
“That was a big series against a really good baseball team,” Lions coach David Fairchild said. “We found a way, had those four big innings.”
The Lions made the most of their 12 hits in the series as seven of them drove in runs. Albany used 11 walks, four hit batters, four stolen bases, and five Hamilton errors to get runners on and move them around.
Zane Waggoner homered in each game, Read had five RBIs in the series, and Tyler Chapman went 3 for 6 for the weekend. The top eight spots in the order all produced at least one hit.
Cole Chapman, Waggoner, and Tyler Chapman – the second, third and fourth batters in the order – combined to score 13 of Albany’s 17 runs in the series.
In the opener, Albany escaped three bases-loaded, no-out jams without allowing a run in overcoming a 5-2 deficit.
Tyler Chapman, who struck out nine in four innings for the win, struck out three in a row to get out of the first inning.
With Albany leading 10-5, Hamilton had the tying run on deck in both the fifth and sixth, but relievers Caden Price and Cole Chapman were able to protect the lead.
In the fifth, Tyler Chapman gave up a hit and two walks, but Price came on to get two strikeouts and a groundout to end the threat. Price then started the sixth with a double and two walks, but Cole Chapman relieved and got two strikeouts and a force out.
“That’s just unheard of, getting out of there with no runs,” Fairchild said. “That game could have gotten away from us if Hamilton had gotten a couple of hits. We’re still struggling a little bit with walking batters (11 in the series, seven in Game 1), and that bothers me.”
Cole Chapman retired six of the seven batters he faced to get the save.
Albany took an early 1-0 lead when Read worked a bases-loaded walk in the top of the first. Hamilton cashed in on a bases-loaded situation for the only time in the second, getting consecutive two-out doubles to take a 4-1 lead.
Waggoner’s homer leading off the third was answered by Hamilton’s Cole Bauman in the bottom of the inning, but the Lions got to Bulldogs ace Chase Weaver for five runs in the fourth. Waggoner reached on a two-out error to extend the inning, then the next five Albany batters reached.
Tyler Chapman singled in a run, and Read drove in two to tie the game. Coy Lefevre, who singled, scored the go-ahead run, and Keatin Russell’s RBI single gave Albany a 7-5 lead.
In the sixth, Tyler Chapman singled in a run, Waggoner scored on a wild pitch, and Read delivered a sacrifice fly.
In Game 2, Read struck out seven in pitching a two-hitter, but allowed baserunners in the first six innings thanks to four walks and two hit batters. Hamilton stranded seven runners in scoring position.
Read was at 102 pitches through six innings, but had enough left to finish. He recorded his only 1-2-3 inning to end the game, getting the final out on his 110th pitch.
Waggoner provided all the offense Albany needed when he connected for a two-run homer in the first. Read added to the lead with a two-out RBI single.
Albany managed just one baserunner over the next three innings before closing the scoring in the fifth. Lefevre reached on an error with the bases loaded to drive in a run. Waggoner again scored on a wild pitch, and Price delivered a two-run single.
The only Hamilton baserunner the rest of the way came on an error in the sixth as Read retired nine of the last 11 batters he faced.
Read has yet to allow a run in 16 playoff innings. He has given up five hits, walking 13 and striking out 27. He has two wins, both series clinchers, and a save in four playoff appearances.
QUARTERFINAL SERIES
GAME 1
ALBANY 10, HAMILTON 5
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
ALBANY 1 0 1 5 3 0 0 10/8/1
HAMILTON 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 5/9/3
atbat runs hits RBI
CsFairchild ss 4 1 1 0
CChapman p 3 2 0 0
Waggoner 1b 4 3 1 1
TChapman 3b 5 2 3 2
Lefevre 2b 4 1 1 0
Read c 2 1 1 4
Price p 2 0 0 0
Russell dh 4 0 1 1
Hill lf 0 0 0 0
ClFairchild rf 3 0 0 0
Totals 31 10 8 8
3B – TChapman. HR – Waggoner. HBP – CsFairchild, CChapman, ClFairchild. SF – Read. SB – CsFairchild, CChapman, Russell, ClFairchild.
IP H R ER BB SO
TChapman 4 8 5 1 4 9
Price 1 1 0 0 2 2
CChapman 2 0 0 0 1 3
WP – TChapman 2. PB – Read.
GAME 2
ALBANY 7, HAMILTON 0
SCORE BY INNING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R/H/E
HAMILTON 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0/2/2
ALBANY 3 0 0 0 4 0 x 7/4/1
atbat runs hits RBI
CsFairchild cf 4 0 0 0
CChapman ss 2 2 1 0
Waggoner 1b 3 2 1 2
TChapman 3b 1 2 0 0
Lefevre 2b 3 1 0 1
Read p 3 0 1 1
ClFairchild cr 0 0 0 0
Price rf 1 0 1 2
Russell dh 3 0 0 0
Hill lf 0 0 0 0
Oliver c 3 0 0 0
Totals 23 7 4 6
HR – Waggoner. HBP – TChapman.
IP H R ER BB SO
Read 7 2 0 0 4 7
WP – Read 3.HBP – Read 2.
